Philippine Airlines

I'm a Mabuhay Elite member and fly around 30000 miles a year on PAL. Most often I fly Tokyo - Manila and Manila - General Santos City but have also flown on PAL from Manila - London and Manila - Bali. Sometimes I fly Economy and sometimes Business. Yesterday (October 12) I flew Business in PR432 Manila - Tokyo NRT. The plane is an A330-300 with 3-3-3 seating in Economy and Premium Economy and 2-2-2 seating in Business. The IFE is wireless and video choices are very limited (Ice Age and Avatar). You would not want to be in either Economy or Premium Economy if the flight was full. The seats are very narrow and if you are of average body width you will be pressing shoulders hard with the person sitting next to you. Business Class uses PAL's new herringbone seating which is the worst Business Class seating I have experienced in recent times. The seats are narrow the herringbone layout means you are angled towards the person next to you and so is he/she angled towards you. You will not want to work on anything confidential because he/she can easily read your notebook screen. The layout would be great for romantic couples who want to be close to each during the flight but for business-people? The flight attendants do an excellent job and both food and wine are very good but 2-2-2 seating in a modern A340 is unacceptable compared to the 1-2-1 many airlines use in A330s and A340s. PAL used to fly 777s on the Manila - Tokyo route and that was a very enjoyable experience both in Business and in Economy which again indicates that PAL's fleet modernization has everything to do with reducing fuel costs but nothing to do with passenger comfort. I am dreading being in a PAL A340 to London next month.

Flight was an Etihad codeshare from Dammam to TAC although PAL operated the MNL to TAC sector check in was a breeze since I was already checked from Abu Dhabi still the counter staff were very friendly and accommodating and very informative since the flight will be on a Bombardier Q400 due to operational restrictions in Tacloban airport meaning luggage weights were restricted. Staff explained the issue and possible solution airport utilized was the new T3 terminal and it was well marked. Boarding was a breeze though we were bussed to the aircraft- boarding was organized. The aircraft itself was small the seats were a 2-2 configuration but very comfortable and had wide legroom take off was slightly delayed due to congestion but it was smooth. Snacks served were adequate for an hours flight minimal cockpit info and the attendants were efficient landing was a but bumpy due to slightly windy weather. Bags were out in less than 10 minutes. All in all a good flight cant wait to have the airport renovation finished so that the bigger A320 are used.

Flew from MNL to SFO and return on the 4th and 16th September. Check in a breeze as was the lounge. Totally uneventful flight with happy and very willing to please attendants. Champagne was nice and cold and the wine was quite acceptable. Plane was 777 and the seats almost lay flat but I got 5 hours sleep both ways. Movies were so so but some reasonable old classics. Very good value for money in fact I try to fly PAL whenever I am able. I would recommend PAL.

Short flight from Manila to Caticlan. Flight was slightly delayed but gave out snacks as a way of apology. Value for money and would recommend the airline.

We flew Singapore-Manila-Vancouver then returned Vancouver-Manila-Bali in Business class. Check in was easy and efficient and lounges good. The service was just excellent - smiling efficient made you feel like a valued customer. Flight from Manila to Vancouver was on a 777 and return on an A340. Same lay flat beds same great service and no discernible difference. My wife and I got a good 6-7 hours very comfortable sleep on each long leg. All in all great value for money and we will recommend and fly Philippine again.

Flight 538 DPS-MNL Sep 20. Flight 116 MNL-YVR Sep 20. Only one bad children's movie played from a screen in the middle of the plane at the beginning. No more movies for the rest of the 10 hrs. They ran out of the meal I wanted then forgot to give it to me so 30 minutes later I had to ask. They have no alcohol except bad wine and bad beer. For a 12 hour flight it was horrible. Delayed flight of course and a bad terminal in Manila. Not worth the money cause for a little bit more money you can get a normal international flight with actual service and entertainment.

This is our first PAL experience (January 2014). We travel to Manila twice a year via AC/ANA. Check-in was hassle free. Flight and service were excellent. Staff made us feel comfortable. Food was delicious. Lounge was okay. Seats were very comfortable. Managed to get good sleep which is important to us in long flights less jet lag. Will fly PAL again before Christmas! Hoping service and flight quality won't change under LT Group management.

I flew from Manila to Hong Kong. I was pleasantly surprised about PAL. The food was very good. Unfortunately the portion was too little and there was no appetizer salad such example but the dessert was very nice. The drink selection was great. All in all the quality of the food was very good. My seat was spacious enough although I'm tall. The flight attendants were cheerful and friendly and they were always ready for a smile. The toilets were clean and spacious. There was no IFE but for almost 2 hours flight it was not important in my opinion. Newspapers were distributed. The flight departed on time and arrived on time. Especially on this point i was really surprised.

HK-Manila return. Outbound new A330 business seats in reverse herringbone configuration. Fully flat seats however seats are quite narrow. IFE provided by ipad which is quite inconvenient having to hold or stare down when placed in table top. Tried their premium economy seats quite surprising it had very good legroom and recline. Could compete with narrow-body plane's business class if only they had IFE. Inbound on an old A340 Tears are all over the seams of the seats no IFE. Musty smell all over. Redeeming factor is the seat pitch. Really needs to be decommissioned as it is a disgrace to PAL's fleet. Food in both sector fair but not great. Cabin crew provided typical Filipino hospitality and are efficient.

I flew from Manila to Heathrow on a 777 my return was on an old Airbus A340. To say the airbus was substandard would be an understatement in an age of carriers using modern up to date planes this was a great disappointment. London is a prime capital city. To look to increase passengers especially from the west you really have to up your game. There is no personal screen (the replacement was a small iPad to use which meant holding it while viewing it not easy hour after hour on a long haul flight) my fold down table was broken the seat was really uncomfortable the toilets were not kept clean. I have flown China Southern and even this carrier had a better plane. I am not in a position to use business class but still expect a certain amount of service for my ticket money.